The 3 Things I’m Stepping Away from This Week to Regulate My Nervous System

Lately, the news has been giving me a tight, anxious feeling in my chest.

The more I watch, the worse I feel.

Especially after 5pm - when my nervous system already feels a bit stretched from a full day of being ON - everything seems more intense. My capacity is lower, my filters are thinner, and I notice I absorb things more deeply than I intend to. I’m not just skimming the news, I’m taking it into my body.

I’ve realised I don’t just “stay informed” in that state. I get pulled into it.

And honestly… I’ve had enough of that feeling. So this week, I’m stepping back, and I’m giving myself a total news detox.

What I’ve noticed so far is that this isn’t just about the news itself.

It’s part of something bigger I’ve been tuning into lately - a quieter awareness of how my nervous system is actually responding to everyday inputs.

What speeds you up, what tightens your chest, what pulls your attention in a hundred directions at once… and what gently brings you back to yourself.

And so I’ve been asking myself…

What makes me feel settled in my body? What makes me feel scattered, buzzy, or slightly on edge for no obvious reason?

And this week, I realised something very simple:

Regulation isn’t always about adding in more practices.
Sometimes it’s about stepping back from what’s constantly asking something of you.

It’s about taking things out. Like the news.

Plus, two other inputs. Let’s dive in …

1. The news

As I’ve already shared, this one has been the loudest input for me lately.

And I don’t think it’s just about what is happening in the world - it’s about how often I’m letting it into my nervous system.

There’s a big difference between being aware of the world and being repeatedly activated by it throughout the day. I’ve noticed how quickly my body responds - a slight tightening in my chest, a subtle drop in my energy, a sense of vigilance I didn’t choose. And once I’m there, it’s surprisingly hard to fully come back to myself. I feel like I’m holding my breath.

So this week, I’m stepping away from the constant stream.

Not because I don’t care about what’s going on, but I want my caring to come from a regulated place - not an overwhelmed one.

2. Social media scrolling

The second thing I’m stepping back from is unconscious scrolling.

Not social media itself - I use it for work. But the autopilot opening of apps when I’m slightly tired, slightly bored, slightly overstimulated… and suddenly I’m in a completely different world. One where I don’t want to be.

One minute I’m here. The next I’m absorbing everyone else’s pace, opinions, bodies, homes, routines, achievements.

It’s not that it’s harmful in a dramatic sense. It’s just that it fragments me. I notice my attention scatters. My thoughts speed up. And often I don’t even realise it’s happened until I put my phone down and feel a bit… ugh.

So this week, I’m bringing in more intention.

If I open it, I’m asking myself why. For work. Then I’m out. No scrolling.

It’s simple, but it changes the quality of my day.

3. Constant availability (notifications, messages, emails)

The third thing I’m ignoring this week is the pressure to be constantly available.

The little pings. The red dots. The mental load of “I should reply to that.”

I’ve realised how much this keeps my system in a subtle state of readiness - like I’m always half turned toward something outside myself. Even when I’m resting, part of me is waiting.

And that kind of background alertness is tiring in a way that’s easy to overlook.

So this week, non-essential notifications are off. I’m not checking messages first thing in the morning. And I’m letting response time expand a little.

Not everything needs immediate energy. Not everything needs an instant return.

There’s something deeply regulating about choosing when I engage, rather than being pulled into it all day long.

So here’s what I’m noticing already…

A bit more space in my mind. A bit less tightness in my chest. A slower, steadier rhythm returning underneath the day. And wait – less anger at the things I can’t control (this is a big one!)

More than anything – there’s a sense that I’m not constantly being pulled away from myself. Small moments of presence feel like they are coming back online. Making tea. Walking outside. Sitting without reaching for anything.

Letting the moment be enough. Calm. Not intensified with external input.

Here’s the thing…

We often think nervous system regulation is about adding more - more tools, more practices, more routines.

And those things absolutely have their place (I LOVE the sauna).

But there’s also something quietly powerful about subtraction. About noticing what you’re letting in all day long. About choosing less input so there’s more internal space.

What if calm isn’t something you chase?

What if it’s something that returns when you stop overwhelming the system that’s trying to keep you steady? This week, I’m exploring that.